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by ajuc 2055 days ago
VAT is a regressive tax - because poor people have to spend almost all of their earnings to survive - they pay VAT for almost all of their earnings.

On the other hand rich people spend less than 1% of their earnings - so they only pay VAT on that 1%.

So, effective taxation caused by VAT is VAT rate for poor people and less than 1% for rich people.

2 comments

A poor person buys some shampoo and pays VAT.

A rich person invests in a company which buys a yacht (that they can use). They don't pay VAT because the company can claim it back if the yacht is used for business purposes, which of course it will be because the rich person will use it to have business meetings with all their other rich friends on.

VAT is taxing added value, it taxes wealth right where it is created.